Veltins’ Grevensteiner Landbier to debut next week

One of my favorite styles of beer is known as Kellerbier, which translates literally from German as “cellar beer.” It’s essentially an unfiltered and unpasteurized lager, usually a pilsner. They’re also sometimes referred to as Zwickelbiers, and although there are small differences between the two, many people use the names interchangeably. But imagine all the flavor of a great German pilsner. Got it? Now don’t filter it or pasteurize it, both of which strip flavors from the beer, and you’ve got a pilsner on steroids, flavor-wise. That’s kellerbier.

The beer is based on the first beer brewed by Carl and Anton Veltins, who founded the brewery in 1824. Then, as now, it was named Grevensteiner, and uses whole hops, Vienna malts, and what they refer to as “ancient malts.” It’s cloudy and brown, with ruby highlights, due to being unfiltered. The brewery describes its flavors as including “caramel, honey, roasted almonds and green apples.”

Starting on Monday, the beer will be available on draft at select locations and the importer is hosting a few events to kick it off. Representatives will be touring the area next week to promote the beer. If you’re nearby, stop by and give it a try.